"Hiked gated road from Wayah Gap up east side to blue-blazed trail to Snowbird Gap, then summit trail to peak. Returned same route. Second ascent this road route, first descent. " — davidensley • Jul 12, 2021

"Planned to hike Wayah Bald and Wine Spring Bald, but Wayah Bald Road closed due to ice (and will be closed until April 1 according to the forest service website), so hiked Appalachian Trail toward Siler Bald. Shaded sides of mountains (north and east) were covered with snow, and trail was icy. Sunny sides (west and south) had little to no snow and ice. Reached Snowbird Gap (elevation 1518 meters, 4980 feet) before turning back due to a late start, and reached the car about 15 minutes before sunset. Met hiker who had been to the peak and said summit trail was very icy. " — davidensley • Jan 22, 2021

"Hiked from Wayah Crest (a. k. a. Wayah Gap) past picnic tables to road across Appalachian Trail up east side to gap, then turned right onto blue blazed trail to Snowbird Gap, then Siler Bald Summit Trail to peak. Returned west side on Appalachian Trail. Just looking at Terrain, Open TopoMap and Satellite Topo, and after hiking both sides, road seems shorter, and thus, steeper. With sun at a low angle in these shortest days of the year in December, early afternoon on the road the sun was just above the ridge line, hence the decision to return on the west side on the Appalachian Trail for the late afternoon sunlight and the not as steep descent. Road is wide and does not have the rock and root obstacles most trails do, but the steeper ascent slowed our pace. Snow flurries at dawn according to weather report, and we saw small patches of snow in grassy areas. UPDATE: After further hikes and measurements, I believe the road route zig-zags more and is about the same length as the Appalachian Trail, but the steepness varies more on the road while the A.T. has a more consistent slope." — davidensley • Dec 11, 2020